We have cast away stones
for five years, and now it’s time to
gather stones together.
Cheryl A. Posey: "Must Do" Tips to Instantly
Improve Your English (5 rules to speak English correctly)
1. Always speak slowly.
One of the most common complaints I hear from people
is that they have a difficult time understanding someone who speaks too quickly.
This applies to both native speakers and speakers of English as a
second language.
The goal here, of course, is not to speak too
slowly, but slowly enough so that you have more time for your lips
and tongue to reach the correct placement for sounds. Speaking more
slowly will instantly help make your accent less pronounced. If you
speak too quickly, your accent will sound heavier and your speech
more difficult to understand. This is because your lips and tongue
do not have enough time to form sounds correctly. Use an appropriate
speaking rate as your fundamental speaking skill. This is the skill
upon which every other skill is based. Master this, and you will be
doing great!
2. Pronounce all the sounds in words.
Pay special attention to pronouncing all the sounds in words when
you speak. Right now, you may be omitting the final sound, the
middle sound, or an unstressed syllable in a word. This can make
your speech difficult to understand for your listener. Focusing on
pronouncing all the sounds in words will instantly make your English
pronunciation better. It sounds easy, but it is actually difficult
to do! Start learning when you omit sounds by practicing reading
aloud slowly. Focus on each sound in every word as you speak,
especially the final sounds of words. As it becomes easier, start
incorporating this skill into your everyday speech. You will notice
an instant change in your English!
3. Stick to grammar you have mastered:
English, just like other languages, has a specific word order to
follow, as well as ways to form types of words. If English is not
your native language, then you are used to using a different grammar/word
order system. What this means is that you will naturally make
mistakes in English grammar, even if you have studied grammar rules.
Applying the rules can be difficult.
Here is your grammar tip:
when
speaking to others, try to stick to using grammar structures you
have mastered.
If you have only mastered simple sentences, then you
should use only simple sentences until you can use more advanced
ones successfully. No one will think less of you for using simple
structures.
Believe it or not, they won’t even notice! What they
will notice, however, is when you make a mistake. So, always follow
this rule!
4. Record your speech often.
The best tool for helping you understand what your speech sounds
like to others is to record your speech.
Do this very often!
Awareness of the changes you need to make is the first step to
changing your speech.
Listening to your speech will help in every
area of English:
It will help you become aware of the mistakes in
pronunciation, grammar, stressing, intonation patterns, pausing,
word connections, etc. Most computers have a built-in sound recorder
that you can use for recording. If yours doesn’t have one, any tape
recorder or digital recorder will do. You may need to have a
microphone in order to hear your voice, so test out your equipment
ahead of time. Once you are all set to go, record your speech for
1-2 minutes as you talk about any topic you would like. Now here is
the hard part: go back and listen to your speech and analyze it. Try
to be objective, and rate yourself according to how quickly you are
speaking and how easy it is to understand your speech. Also, make a
note of any words you hear that have sounds omitted. Remember, it is
the final sound of words and sometimes the middle syllables that are
most often omitted. A good habit to get into is to write down words
you hear that are accented and practice them.
5. Speak loudly enough.
Speaking volume is a very important part of oral communication for
every language.
Whether you are speaking to one person or ten people,
you must be able to speak loudly enough so that your audience hears
you comfortably. How do you know if you are not speaking loudly
enough?
If you tend to speak too softly, you may notice people
asking you to repeat, to speak more loudly, or to clarify what you
say.
Expressions on people’s faces can also let you know that
something is wrong.
If you see people leaning forward in their seats,
frowning, or turning an ear toward you, these are clear signs that
you are speaking too softly. How can you adjust your speaking volume?
It is not enough just to speak more loudly.
You will want to
practice aiming your voice at different locations, starting at three
feet away, then five feet away, then ten feet away, etc. Each time
you practice, find an object at a specific distance away and talk to
it. Look at the object and aim your voice at it. You can also
practice with another person as your helper. Ask the person to stand
in a specific place and say something to him/her. If he/she can hear
you comfortably, increase the distance and do it again. Speaking at
an appropriate loudness will make you sound confident and in control;
in the business world, these two qualities are extremely important!
Good bye, my dear friends!
Speak Englisn Every day!
Всем, кто только приступает к занятиям английским языком,
РЕКОМЕНДУЕМ:
Бесплатные Озвученные
Уроки Английского Языка для Начинающих "с
нуля":
- звуки английского
языка - Усваиваем Вместе!
- первые шаги в английском языке делаем Вместе!
Только для Читателей проекта Увлекательный
Английский Возможность проверить свои знания и способности в английском языке:
Бесплатный Озвученный Тренинг
"Как изучать язык"
http://at-english.ru/lingv1.htm Читаем Диккенса! Проходите по ссылке и приступайте к занятиям прямо сейчас!
All good wishes!
Ваш Надежный Проводник
в Увлекательном Мире Английского
Ирина Арамова